Game-card



UNITED 'STATES PATENT Oriircn@A PAUL K. DEALY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAME-CARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,184, dated February 8, 1887.

I A Application filed June 15, 1885. Serial No.168,67. (No model.)

va sufcient number of cards illustrative of my invention to indicate the nature thereof, and I will hereinafter refer to the said views with particularity, in order that the' following description of my invention may be clearly understood.

My purpose is to make a pack of playingcards or game-cards whereby a new game, original with me, as I believe, may be played. To suggest the nature of the game, I have V,named it The Game of U. S. Politics, but

itmay bearany other suitable name.

A full pack, in the example which I shall hereinafter describe, consists of fifty-six cards; but the number' may be `varied as circumstances may require, or as may be desired.

This pack I divide into four equal parts or suits, representing, respectively, (as an illustration of a prominentfeature ofthe game,)

the leading four political parties contending in the Presidential election of 1884. It is optional, however, what party each suit shall represent, and I have not, therefore, employed any special character for the purpose of uniformly representing a particular party. On all of the cards in one suit I make the representation of one or more stars, which maybe termed spots and this character not only designates a suit, but may also represent, for example, the Republican party. On one of the cards of this suit Imake only one star, and that card corresponds to the ace found in the common packs ofgame-eards, sometimes known as standard cards. The next Cardin this suit bears the representation of a mans head or bust, and is marked President This Vcard corresponds to the king in the common pack. The next card in this suit'has on it a similar representation, but is marked Vice or Vice President, and corresponds to the queen in the common pack. The next card in this suit has on it the representation of an Indian, and corresponds to the jack or knave in the ordinarypack. The next card bears ten stars, the next nine, the next eight, and so on through the suit. Each of the spot-cards in this suit also bears the name either of a State or of a Territory, and has numerals printed thereon. The number of. spots on each card represent its value in that suit, and its Anumerals mark its value in points7 in the game, as will hereinafter be more fully explained. I also make on eachv card having on it Ithe name of-a State or of a Territory the coat 'of arms of that State or Territory, and I print on each card some useful information, such, for example, as statistics relating to the population of that State, its representatives in Congress, the number of votes polled therein, 85e.; also, on each of the State and Territory cards I designate the rank of the State or Territory named thereon, measured by popula-I tion; I make the spots in'y this suit all of one color-for example, red-.or the prevailing or dominant color on the cards therein is red.

Thus far I have described only thirteen cards in the f star suit. It may be here stated that these are all the cards which properly or necessarily belong tofthesuit, the other or fourteenth card being more a pack-card than a suit-card as will be hereinafter. more fully explained. Attention is called to the fact that the ace of this suit is a State card, as will be 'perceived on reference to Fig. 1.

It will be perceived that, considering only the face or picture cards now described, and considering only the number of spots on the spot-cards, the suit corresponds to a suit in the ordinary pack of gaine-cards.

I make all of the suits substantially'in the manner now described, excepting that I employ a different emblem to represent each,

and do not repeat thename of a State or Territory. One of the other suits is represented, for example, by the emblem of the eagle, another yby the emblem of the cap of liberty, and the other by the emblem of the stripes, all national emblems, as will be perceived, and

each emblem vmay represent a political party.V

In making up the suits I distribute the States and Territories among them equally as to numw ber in each suit, and as equally or evenly as possible on the basis of population. I also `aim to have the number counted as game correspond as nearly as maybe to the population of the State or Territory designated on IOO the card therewith. Such a distribution will leave two extra State cards and one extra Territory card. To balance the pack, I make what I call the Vhite-House77 card. The extra Territory card (District of Columbia) I mark CapitaL These two extra State cards I use as bowers, and, as the bowers are usuallyhigh cards, I have selected two high State cards to represent them-viz., New York and Pennsyl- Vania. These I print in different colors-for example, one in red and one in black. The Capital card bears the same relation among the Territory cards that the bowers do to the other cards, and the Vhite-House card corresponds to the jokerthat is, it is the best card in the pack, or will take any other card therein. On'each of these extra or pack cards I print all the four emblems already referred to and such other emblems and matter as I may desire to have thereon. vVhen the trump 7 is in red, the red bower is the right7 bower and the other bower is the left i bower. \Vhen the trump is in black, the black bower is the right bower and the red bower the left bower.

The game is played in the following manner: After the sides have been chosen, two of the opposing players cut for choice of political party, the one cutting the highest card having iirst choice and also the first deal. After the dealer shuilles the cards his adversary next to his right cuts them, and the cut is to be placed underneath the other part of the pack. The dealer then deals the cards out one at a time, commencing with the player at his left, and continues to deal out the cards iu that order until all are dealt out. The last or bottom card ot' the pack is the trump. If stars are trumps the cards in order of value will be as follows: first best, the lVhite- House; next best, President, (in stai-sg) next best, /Iice-Iresideut, (in stars;) nextbest, right bowel', (bower in red5`) next best, left bower, (bower in black5) next best, the one spot of stars; next best, the two spot oi' stars, and so on up to and including the nine spot of stars, that being the last card in States in that suit. The same rule applies to all suits. The cards following the nine spot in each suit is a Territory card, but the Territory cards are not always trumps in the trump suit-that is to say, they will never take a State card-and singly count nothing in the popular vote. Among the Territory cards each of the latter has the same relative value or rank as the State cards have to each other. For example, if stars are trumps, the Territory cards in that suit would be the best among the Territory cards, excepting the Territory card marked Capital,77 which is always the best Territory card. The side winning the majority of the Territory cards-that is to say, tive or morewould count fifteen points for game in the popular Vote, the combined value of the Territory cards being fifteen votes.

Suit must always be followed.

If the player does not have suit, it is optional with him what he plays; but when possible it is desirable to save trumps, with which to capture the picture and high number cards. Cards marked, respectively, 5, l0, 15, the., each count as much in the lpopular vote for game as the number thereon indicates.

A majority of the picture-cards decides the electoral vote.

To win the game, it is necessary to have either the required number of points (455) and the majority of picture-cards, or else the greatest number of tricks, together with the required number of points; but if the Side having the smaller count of points should capture the majority of tricks and pieture-cards, the game would be a draw, neither side winning. A draw, however, will not often occur.

\Vith these explanations, any one familiar with the general rules governing the games played with the ordinary standard cards will be able to play my game.

I may also state that the rules governing my game are not always inflexible; but those which I have given I deem to be the best in order to render the game interesting.

By omitting the White-House card, the bower cards, and the Capital card, any game may be played with the remaining cards which may be played with the common standard cards, and in accordance with the rules which govern games played with the latter cards, it being understood that two lsuits in my pack are in red and two in black, as usual.

Figure 1 represents the ace of stars; Fig. 2, the first highest picture or face card in stars; Fig. 3, the second or next highest picture or face card in stars, Fig. 4, the third or next highest picture or face card in stars; Fig. 5, the joker, or highest card in the pack; Fig. 6, one of the bower cards; Fig. 7, the Capital, or highest Territory card, and Fig. S the highest spot-card in the snit of stars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A pack ol' game-cards made up in suits distinguishable from each other by means of different emblems made upon the cards constituting each suit, respectively, and in which the suits are made up in part of spot cards having thereon printed subject-matter indicating the different States and Territories of the United States of America, and also figures or printed matter indicating the relative importance of the diiTerent States and Territories in Presidential elections, and also in part of face or picture cards, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. A pack of game-cards iliade up in suits distinguishable from each other by means of different emblems made upon the cards constituting each suit, respectively, and in which the suits are made up in part of spot-cards having thereon-printed subject-mattei' indicating the different States and Territories of IOO IIO

the United States of America, and also the coat of .arms of the different States and Terri-` tories, and also figures or printed matter indicating the relative importance of the different States and Territories in Presidential elections, and also in part of face or picture cards, substantially as and for the purposes specified. 3. A pack of game-cards made up in suits, each consisting inY part of cards representing the States and Territories ofthe United States of America, and of face or picture cards, one of which is designated as .White-House, another President, another Vice7 or Vice President, and another OapitaL 4. A pack of game-cards made up in suits,

each consisting in part of cards representing the States and Territories of the United States of America, and ofV face or picture cards, one of which is designated as White-House, another President, lanother Vice 7 or Vice Iresidenty7 another Capital,7 and tivo as bowers. v

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own' I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL/ K. DEALY.

Witnesses:

' F. If. WARNER,

HENRY FRANRFURTER. 

